


Pizza for One

by BlueClue182



Series: STRANGER ANGST [4]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Don't @ Me, F/M, HONESTLY POOR STEVE, Not completely canon compliant?, Rated for swearing, Somewhere between seasons 2 and 3 if it actually happened, past Stancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 15:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20084314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueClue182/pseuds/BlueClue182
Summary: Steve comes home from work to a girl in his bedroom.He is not excited.He never thought he'd see the day.





	Pizza for One

**Author's Note:**

> Not totally canon compliant (but I guess you could assume that Joyce told Jonathan they were moving??).  
Rating is for show-appropriate swearing.  
Part of the Stranger Angst series and also a new series I'm calling "Single Scoop" because I think I'm hilarious.  
Inspired by this Tumblr post: https://tmblr.co/ZNPvTy2Y5D7t1  
Come make a request on Tumblr if you want more! @writingdino

The lights were on in his room, and her car was parked haphazardly in front of the garage door. Steve turned off his car and twirled the keys around his finger, debating whether to go inside or not. It was muggy and the air inside the car quickly got sticky.

The house was quiet. He went into the kitchen and held open the fridge longer than strictly necessary, especially considering he knew what he would find. Nothing but loose soy sauce packets and a handful of double A batteries in the door. The freezer had one bottle of vodka and a half-full ice cube tray.

He made a mental checklist:

  1. Get house key back from Nancy
  2. Go Grocery shopping (use dad’s credit card)
  3. Wash uniform

He decided to call out for pizza, also on his dad’s card. When his dad left town, his mom always followed, though it was a 50/50 shot on whether or not she told him. Steve heard a muffled clunk upstairs.

The mail needed sorting and he should throw out the junk. Then the trash looked kind of full, and he hated a full trash. Finally, he came in from the bins which he’d organized for trash pickup (not for another two days), toed off his sneakers, and carefully placed them on the rack by the door. Knowing there was a girl in his room, especially this girl, used to fill him with excitement. Instead he wished there were dishes that needed handwashing or maybe that he had the proper equipment to clean the pool.

Nancy had done this twice in the months since they’d broken up: first when her parents announced they were splitting, and second when her dad officially moved out. The door to his room was ajar. He pushed it open as casually as he could. She was sitting on his bed, yearbook in her lap, sniffling as she turned the pages. “Hey Nance, welcome to my home, please come in.”

“You gave me a key.”

“While we were dating. For emergencies.”

“Fine, take your stupid key back.” But she didn’t move except to keep flipping through the yearbook.

“You know you have your own copy of that, right?” He dropped the car keys on his dresser.

She snorted and read: “Happy summer—love you forever, can’t wait to spend every day together in the sun.” She held the book up to him, showing her note from the year before. “Can you BELIEVE?”

“I’ve got pizza on the way. Do you want me to call someone now or after the food arrives?”

“I’m not drunk.”

Steve scoffed. “Say your ABC’s backwards.”

“Z, Y, X, W, V…”

He held his hands up. “Alright, jeeze.”

Nancy closed the book with a thud. “It was just sitting here on the bed.” She tossed it onto one of Steve’s pillows.

Steve was about to explain that he was feeling sentimental, he’d been upset lately and wanted to see if high school memories, however recently forged, would make things better or worse. Instead, as usual, he went on the defense. “This _is_ my room, you know. I can leave my shit wherever I want.”

Nancy flopped back on the bed. “Remind me why we broke up?”

“That’s not fair.”

She sat up and stared at him. “Do you think we’ll ever get a round two?”

“Nancy.” He tried to warn her off the subject with his voice, but she either didn’t understand, or didn’t care.

“It just ended so abruptly.”

“Yeah, because you started seeing someone else.”

“Why didn’t you fight for me?”

He laughed. “Well, you called me bullshit. You told me you didn’t really love me. And even if I’d tried, you’d have gotten mad at me or the relationship would have been a lie.”

“Hmpf.” She laid back down. “What about now?”

“Now you have the same boyfriend you left me for, and we’re both better off.”

“But say I didn’t. Say we tried again.”

“Does Jonathan know you’re here?” He crossed his arms and leaned back.

“Can you just answer the question?” She ran her hands through her hair but still didn’t sit up or properly look at Steve. He sighed.

“It…doesn’t matter. Even if you and Jonathan…and anyway what makes you think I’ll be any different this time?” She didn’t answer him. “Why are we playing this game of horrible hypotheticals?”

“So now dating me was horrible?” 

“Nance you know that’s not—what’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on.”

“Uh huh.” Steve started changing out of his work uniform. Nancy looked over at him and propped herself up on one elbow.

“It’s cute. This whole sailor motif.”

“Cute is definitely the vibe I was hoping to give off this summer.”

“Not working in your favor?”

“Nancy. Why are you here?” He turned away from her to swap his sailor shorts for flannel pajama pants. When he turned back around he caught her staring at him. He snapped his fingers at her and she startled. “My eyes are up here.”

“Jonathan is leaving.”

“What?”

“He’s moving. Well, his family is moving.”

“Okay.”

“I’m upset about it! I’m allowed to be upset about it.”

“Sure, but why are you here talking about second chances instead of spending as much time with him as possible?”

“I don’t—he started talking about—”

“Mmmm. He’s not a fan of the long distance?” The doorbell rang. “That’ll be the pizza.” Steve grabbed his wallet and ran downstairs, leaving a thousand things he _should _have said, but didn’t, in his wake.

He didn’t say _Thanks for breaking my heart now get the hell outta my house._

He didn’t say _How dare you ask _me_ of all people for help_.

He didn’t say _go back to Jonathan. Talk this over with him._

He didn’t say _I’ll take that key back now._

Instead, he tipped the delivery kid more than he needed to, and brought all the food up to his room. When he got there, Nancy was gone.


End file.
